Uploading files to the Avast FTP server

When you contact Avast Support with a technical or malware-related issue, you may be asked to upload specific files from your PC to the Avast FTP server for further analysis. Sending files to the Avast FTP server may be also necessary when you want to contact Avast Threat Labs to whitelist your files. In such case, before sending your files to the server, you need to join the the Whitelisting Program first by filling out the Whitelisting Program Application form.

Select one of the following tabs according to your issue and refer to the sections in this article for instructions:

Compress requested files to a password-protected archive

Before you upload a requested file to the Avast FTP server, compress the file to an archive (for example, a .zip, .rar, or .7z file) using the password virus.

Download and run the installer for 7-Zip from www.7-zip.org to install the free file archiver on your PC.

Under the heading Archive, provide a unique filename, such as your email address, to identify your archive on our FTP server.

Under the heading Encryption, provide the password virus.

Click OK to create the compressed archive.

The newly compressed archive is located in the same folder as the original files.

If you are unable to compress a file flagged as suspicious by Avast Antivirus, temporarily disable Avast active protection by right-clicking the Avast icon in your system tray and selecting Avast shields control ▸ Disable for 10 minutes.

Upload an archive to the Avast FTP server

After compressing the requested files to a password protected archive, upload the archive to our Avast FTP server with any FTP client software using the following parameters:

File protocol:

Encryption:

Host name:

Port number:

Login (username/password):

Directory:

FTP

no encryption

ftp.avast.com

21

anonymous (anonymous/anonymous)

/incoming

File Transfer Protocol

Used by default

Avast FTP server

Used by default

Arbitrary username and password

Upload folder on Avast FTP server

Ensure that you notify us each time you upload a file to our FTP server to ensure that the files are retrieved promptly.

Only upload files to our FTP server that have been requested by Avast Support representatives.

You are unable to see any content in our FTP server, including any files you upload, because you have write-only privileges.

If you do not have FTP software, follow these steps:

Download and run the installer for WinSCP from www.winscp.net to install free FTP client software on your PC (keep the setup defaults while installing).

Double-click the WinSCP icon on your desktop to run the FTP client.

On the WinSCP Login screen, change File protocol to FTP, provide the credentials from the table above, and click Login to connect to the Avast FTP server.

When the connection to Avast FTP server is established, double-click the incoming folder on the right side of the WinSCP screen.

Locate the archive with the requested files on the left side of the WinSCP screen, right-click it, and select Upload... from the context menu.

Click OK to upload the archive to the incoming folder on the Avast FTP server.

Provide the filename and password of the archive to Avast Support

After uploading an archive to the Avast FTP server, ensure that you notify Avast Support of the filename and password for the archive. Without this notification, we may be unable to locate your archive on our FTP server and analyze your files.

If you are not already in contact with us, submit a ticket to Avast Support. Include the following details in your message:

Preparing files for upload

If you are uploading a single file, you can proceed to the next section of this article. However, if you are uploading multiple files, compress the files to a ZIP archive first by following these steps:

Download and run the installer for 7-Zip from www.7-zip.org to install the free file archiver on your PC.

Under the heading Archive, provide your preferred archive name to identify it on our FTP server.

Under the heading Encryption, do not enter any password.

Click OK to create the compressed archive.

The newly compressed archive is located in the same folder as the original files.

If you are unable to compress a file flagged as suspicious by Avast Antivirus, temporarily disable Avast active protection by right-clicking the Avast icon in your system tray and selecting Avast shields control ▸ Disable for 10 minutes.

Upload an archive to the Avast FTP server

Upload a file or an archive to the Avast FTP server with any FTP client software using the following parameters:

File protocol:

Encryption:

Host name:

Port number:

Login (username/password):

Directory:

FTP

no encryption

whitelisting.avast.com

21

Your account credentials (received after joining the Whitelist Program

/share

File Transfer Protocol

Used by default

Avast FTP server

Used by default

Arbitrary username and password

Upload folder on Avast FTP server

Only upload files to our FTP server that should be whitelisted.

You are unable to see any content in our FTP server, including any files you upload, because you have write-only privileges.

If you do not have FTP software, follow these steps:

Download and run the installer for WinSCP from www.winscp.net to install free FTP client software on your PC (keep the setup defaults while installing).

Select Directories from menu on the left. In the Remote directory field, type share and click OK.

Click Login to connect to the Avast FTP server.

Locate the files to be whitelisted on the left side of the WinSCP screen, right-click it, and select Upload... from the context menu.

Click OK to upload the archive to the share folder on the Avast FTP server.

After uploading you do not have to provide Avast with any additional information about the uploaded file nor send any e-mails. Avast Threat Lab will be notified automatically after you upload your file. As the processing is semi-automatic, you will not be notified about the whitelisting process. Uploaded files will be processed in 24 hours after uploading.